The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-03
THE FGRRYHiN'S STORY.

HE FENEl l IMAM , NIVhI.
Correspondence of the New York
EUeling Post. This is the story Lee,
the feTryman, is so fond OF telling:
ut warn't a matter of choice with
me that | was outer the way at that
pertickular junchoor--it never is
OF my own choosin when [ stop away
all night from the cabin, for it's a
lonesome sorter place cording to
some folks notions, and women folks
are apt to grow fanciful when the
SUI goes down and the shadows
crowd black around every corner un-
til the very ley hopper by the chin
bley II give them start if they hap
pen { look toward it after dark.
Then the owls help along the shivers
some. 1t amt cheerful music they
make hootin' at each other in these
old woods every night Blamed if
don't think sometimes that Mamie
(nodding proudly toward the cabin)
has got the grit Of forty wildcats to
stand it + all.
81 had to go prospecting for timber
that day. I'd took out contract to
furnish 10000 boards to cover Squire
Moore's new ginhouse with, and I've
cut way mos Of the cypress clost to
my field-I've turned off sight of
shingles since | settled in this bet
tom-and that day laid off to find
my trees and blaze en- and then get
homo by lamplight. Mamie didn't
look like she relished the prospeck
much, but she ain the sorter woman
10 make you feel like criminel
every time you get out of her sight,
so she put me up enough col vittels
in a tin bucket TO last me a week
stead of for one cold snack and
walked part of the way with me, to
the blackberry patch down by the
gin slough. Mans death on black
berry jam. I'll bet you four bits she
gives you some for dinner. Black
berries were uncommon fine and
plentiful that year. ushully tux
my gun long with me, aud I've never
been able to count for my not doing
it ON that pertickuler occasion.
Nothing wouldn't have happened as
it did if I'd had my gun with me,
But | reckon it was just as well as it
was, for otherwise Mamie d never
had no chance to show her pluck.
Well, sir, it amt often that house of
ours has to look out for itself mos
hal q day, but what with the black
berries and Mamie not being overly
anxious to get back to her loneliness,
it did that day.
There used to live up on Squire
Moore's place n darky named Tim
Walker that I'D far lieier steal a
thing than have it give him; and as
luck would have it, he came down
that morning to 90 crost TO Robert
sons sawmill. Seeing nobody about,
il warnt very difficult matter for
him to h list the shutter off its hinges
(it was hooked inside and the door
was locked with the key in Naunic's
josy pocket, git inside and help him
sell to my shotgun that always
stands in the corner of the room be-
hind the bed. Mamie gays when
she got in sight of homo and saw that
shutter swinging loose from its
hinges she knew Old Nick was to
pay, and she run every foot Of the
way, strewibg the road with black
berries as she run, The first thing
she done when she got inside was to
spy for my gun; aud it was bout tho
most valuable piece of furniture we
owned and when she saw it was
gone she Just gave one Jump out of
that door to look for tracks. She
found EN-, too. Lucky for us, it
had been raining day before, and the
wet ground showed her mighty plain
the thief had made tracks for the
boat landing. | had two skifis then,
the new ono--I fetched you over in
thai-and the old one; that
the skeleton of it high and
dry it answers first rate to salt the
cattle in. The new one was gone
when Mamie got TO the bank, and as
thick log was blanketing the river
there warn { ne means Of finding out
how much the start of her the thief
had got with my gun; but she didn' I
waste no time in calkerlatin' that row
or tigers. She run back to the house
70 get somethin to bale the old boat
out with, and for the extra oars |
always keep hung up to the raiters,
and out she put across the river on
the traclyof that thief, I've heard
her tell time and again of how awful
she felt when she got out in that
white fog and couldn't see nor hear
nor feel anything but fog. Mamie
says it was just like being in the
world before there was anything at
made made-iust a universal
whiteness and still ness and lonesome
ness, nothing in existence but her
alone a rowing away so feeble like.
And alter little she lost her bear
ings she could tell by the current
whether she was pullin up stream
or down, but whether she was pullin'
for this shore or the opposite one
was too much for her to say. But
she was certain Of one thing. and
that was that she had to keen a
rowin and she did. Mamie says oncet
she heard a sound Of hammerin
like sledges on hollow iron, and Their
she remembered Squire Moore'i
boiler was being patched, so she
must be pullin' straight for home
TSnuire lives lust back OF us here)
SO she pulled roun' on one oar anC
struck out, as well as she could max,
IL. away from the sound. Nanni,
saws, if the iog'd a raised for min
ute. so she could a.seen one shore o.
.Io,b.r sbe'd a had more heart, bu